The Sims

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Video, impressions, and now some new screenshots.

By Douglass C. Perry

IGN dropped by EA's booth today and saw and played The Sims, one of the most popular PC games ever. The Sims looks excellent on the PS2, with bright colors and tons of little special effects that ad to the game's charm. The game won't win any graphics awards, but it does looks better than the PC version in some ways.

The biggest chance in the game is the way you interact with the characters. The UI (User Interface) is quite easy, and just as intuitive as the Sim Theme Park and perhaps even a little easier to use. By using the controller's analog pads to direct the characters and make things happen, players can customize all sorts of cool things, such as interchanging clothes with other characters, including hats and such, and players can even customize their furniture, too.

Gamers can get to grips with the game by playing through levels, and this can be done either by playing through in single player mode, or by jamming through against another player. Yep, you can play against another player, on screen, with the goal being to achieve the coolest lifestyle possible, and whoever completes their goal, by whichever lifestyle they have followed, wins. You get to meet new neighbors and then unlock all sorts of objects as your progress. Players can create the "perfect Sims home" using an open-ended mode of play, which is likeable. Kinda wacky in concept, but it seemed to work OK on screen.

Another thing that EA has done to improve upon the PC version was bring the gamers closer to the action, by enabling players to zoom in on the characters with a moveable camera.

We'll have more on the Sims when we can sit down and spend some quality time in peace and quiet to give you a more full and thorough set of impressions.